Folkepartiet
|Website = folkepartiet.kz|politics = Politics of Kazulia|political parties = Political Parties in Kazulia|elections = Elections in Kazulia|Seats2 Title = Cabinet|Seats2 = |Seats3 Title = Fylke legislatures|Seats3 = }}The 'People's Party '(Kazuliansk: Folkepartiet) was a Kazulian Hosian Democrat party, formed in 3894 as a more centrist, multi-denominational and moderate alternative to Selucdemokraterne. Its foundation is seen by most observers as the result of the reviled premiership of SD's Gustav Westerberg, during which many came to perceive SD as extreme, opening up space for a new centrist political party. A group of Luthoran, Ameliorate and moderate Patriarchal Hosian Democrats then took the initiative to found the People's Party, which made it its explicit aim to "... in the spirit of the Labsburg Declaration, unite the Hosian Democratic centre and create through our own agency and in cooperation with others for Kazulia a Hosian Democratic Alliance that crosses denominational boundaries and brings Hosian-inspired politics to the heart of our nation, a politics that is grounded in subsidiarity, solidarity, stewardship and justice for all." The last leader of the People's Party was Nelline Opland. History Folkepartiet was founded in 3894 by Hans-Peder Juel and a group of concerned, mostly Hosian citizens to be an alternative to the more rightist, abrasive Hosian politics of the existing Selucdemokraterne, most recently brought to the fore by the divisive premiership of Gustav Westerberg. The new party was to be a Hosian Democratic party in the mold of neighbouring Hulstria's Hosian Democratic Alliance: centrist, ecumenical and based on values distilled from the Annunciation. The first representation of the new party in the Storting came quickly as former SD MP Ingbert Mathiassen and 2 colleagues defected to the new party. They built a profile for the party by focusing on issues of human decency and, a recurring important theme for the party, educational equality between the then-outlawed religious schools and secular state schools. At its first election in 3897, the party entered Storting with 14 seats. However, the cerebral style of inaugural leader Hans-Peder Juel proved ill-suited to politics at the national level, illustrated by his relative invisibility while serving as Minister of Education and Culture. His replacement by Mathiassen, whose politics were more campaigning-oriented (or, according to his detractors, "chameleonic"), brought the party its best result with 24 seats in 3903 and official opposition status. However, once more Folkepartiet was hurt by its lack of a clear ideological profile, and it lost 10 seats in the following election, after which Mathiassen was able to secure a seat in government as Minister of Justice, joining a centre-left coalition under Labour's Hanne Endal. It is often assumed that Folkepartiet's low political profile, weakened even further when Mathiassen and his lieutenant Edvald Dahl tried to prevent Labour from re-aligning towards the resurgent Sosialistiske Folkepartiet, was responsible for the loss of 12 seats. When the party was passed over in favour of the Greens during the formation of the Gulbrandsen Cabinet, despite being the pivotal player in the legislature, this caused unrest in the party which led to Mathiassen and Dahl resigning the same day. In an upset result, 26-year old Unge Folkepartiet chairwoman Nelline Opland, not at that time a member of Storting, was elected as the party's leader. The new leader faced criticism for her young age and inexperience, and was widely perceived as still having to find her feet, facing several implicit and explicit challenges to her authority. However, due to the increasingly vitriolic atmosphere in Storting, the generally good-hearted Opland was able to portray herself as an authentic champion for a less contentious form of politics, culminating in Opland saving the government's tax reform while forcing key concessions on Finance Minister Leya Nordahl. Under Opland's leadership so far, the party has become a more radical centrist "third way", in between left and right and increasingly able to use this pivotal position. Ideology The Folkepartiet is a Hosian Democratic party in the tradition of neighbouring Hulstria's former Hosian Democratic Alliance. The party's Constitution names the Annunciation as a "guideline for political conduct" ''and distills from it four values of public justice, stewardship, solidarity and subsidiarity. These four values form the basis of the party ideology, which despite acknowledging its roots in social Hosianism and Hosian values in general is regarded as secular in the sense that Hosian religious beliefs do not necessarily form a part of it. Folkepartiet generally regards itself as centrist, taking a balanced line in debates regarding the role of the state that can be described as corporatist and communitarian. The party generally seeks a smaller role for the state, but insists that its objective is a state that serves society in a supporting, facilitating role (as opposed to a socialist state or a liberal nightwatchman state). It emphasises community initiatives and social values, summarised in the concept of ''den Animerte Samfunn ''(the Animated, alternatively Inspired or Lively Society). Values are also a key part of the party's narrative. Described by inaugural leader Hans-Peder Juel as ''"the living, breathing soul of our society", ''according to the party values cannot be truly individualised or state-centric, but will evolve over time. The role of politicians is to support these values and conduct politics infused with them in pursuit of the common good, helping and encouraging local communities and citizens to play their part. Factions With a few exceptions, Folkepartiet did not have a system of institutionalised factionalism. Observers, however, have noted the existence of several ideological subcurrents within the party, usually (but not exclusively) associated with a particular prominent figure or leader. "Old Hosian Democrats" Not so much a faction in the sense of actively striving for the party programme to match a particular view of the ideology, the term "Old Hosian Democrat" is occasionally used to those who, usually in the founding generation of the party, subscribe to its original and sometimes arguably vague original statement of its ideology, in the tradition of founder Hans-Peder Juel. They are centrist and moderate in a very cerebral way and often not very outspoken, as opposed to the radical centrist Oplandians, who maintain a more outspoken and emotive centrist profile. Radical Centrists ("Oplandians") Radical centrists, also known as Oplandians after prominent leader Nelline Opland, have taken the precepts of the old party and given it a more outspoken centrist profile, very explicitly combining centre-left or progressive stances on issues such as foreign aid, the environment and immigration, with centre-right or conservative stances on issues such as finance, the size of the state and drug policy. While working from a Hosian inspiration, they are often less outspoken about the roots of their ideology. Strategically, the Oplandian perspective is that Folkepartiet belongs to neither of the blocs, adding "compassion to the right and responsibility to the left". Due to their progressive conservative outlook, Oplandians are sometimes also described as "Progressive Conservatives" or "Hosian Progressives". Hosian Liberals ("Pedersonians") Pedersonians (after Roald Gamst Pedersen), also named Hosian Liberals in reference to the Hosian Liberal tradition of Hulstria's Hosian Liberal Alliance, one of the predecessors of the HDV, are centre-right Hosian Democrats focusing very strongly on a small-state, fiscal responsibility perspective. They consider Folkepartiet to be a party of the centre-right rather than of the centre and have a preference for working with Frisinnede Venstre. Hosian Social Democrats ("Hosian Socialists") Originating in those who left the collapsing Labour Party for Folkepartiet under the leadership of Elias Bergli, the Hosian Social Democrats (shorthand Hosian Socialists) constitute Folkepartiet's left wing. They emphasise the social teachings of the Annunciation as well as corporatist industrial relations. Hosian Social Democrats are unusual in that they officially acknowledge themselves as a faction in that they have organised themselves formally in the organisation Solidaritet: Forum for Hosianiske Sosialdemokratiet. Arch-Conservatives ("Gublerians") Folkepartiet boasts a small but vocal minority who espouse the a Hosian conservative viewpoint, often combined with a more radically right-wing perspective emphasising the defence of the ''vanlige folk ''("little folk"), that is more prevalent among the party's membership than its politicians. Analogous to a similar group in Hulstria's HDV, the party and its observers refer to exponents of this tendency as "Arch-Conservatives" or even "Gublerians", though in general, their populism is more moderate than that of their counterparts. Party organisation The Folkepartiet was democratically organised according to the one man, one vote principle, with the supreme governing body of the party being the Party Conference (''Partikongressen), which every member can attend and vote, with delegates of local wings (Fylkeforbundet) receiving a number of extra votes. The Party Conference meets annually; in between conferences, the local delegates from the Party Council (Partirådet), ''a powerful organ within the party which meets quarterly to advise the party's representatives and direct party policy within the framework of the decisions of the Party Conference. Party Council delegates are often well-informed and critically scrutinise party policy to a high degree. In practice, however, much power rests with the Executive (''Hovedstyret), chaired by the Party Chairman (Partiformann) and consisting of a Treasurer, Secretary and 2 members elected by Party Conference, with one additional member from each Fylke. The Party Leader and the Parliamentary Leader attend in an advisory capacity. Since the executive prepares many of the Conference decisions, it has a lot of authority. For instance, it makes a nomination for the electoral lists which is usually followed, and often makes a similar nomination for the leadership which carries a lot of weight. The day-to-day direction of the party's political activities rest with the party leader (Partileder). Within the framework of the policies passed by the party's organs, he cooperates with the party's Storting group (usually chaired by a separate Parliamentary Leader if the party leader is a minister) to set its day-to-day policies. The parliamentary group has a lot of discretion; where it is able to avoid conflict with the party council, therefore, it is generally regarded by observers as the main policy-making body of the party. Folkepartiet leadership Relationships with other parties Despite overtures made by inaugural leader Hans-Peder Juel to the newly-elected moderate SD leadership, FP has profiled itself as the centrist alternative to SD. Category:Political parties in Kazulia